


A Splash of Color in the Middle of the Rain

by CrimsonSun27



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Petstuck (Homestuck), Child Neglect, Gen, Humanstuck, Light-Hearted, Mother-Son Relationship, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Past Child Abuse, Rewrite, repost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24737821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonSun27/pseuds/CrimsonSun27
Summary: Your name is Jane Crocker and you have no idea what the heck you're doing.You thought that today was going to be the same as every other day until you stumbled upon a helpless, nearly dying troll in a alleyway. And with you being a kind person, you couldn't just stand there and watch the little scamp suffer like that.Then again, your pop always told you that raising a child isn't easy, but you're sure as heck going to try.
Relationships: Jane Crocker & Gamzee Makara
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of my old fanfic. Hope you enjoy it!

"Excuse me! Pardon me!"

Your name is Jane Crocker and you're running late on a new job interview after you got fired on your last one the week before.

Fortunately, you were given a second chance thanks to Roxy, who told you yesterday that there was a new offer in a well known company. 

You're a lucky gal for having such a reliable friend. So when you woke up this morning only to realize that you're late for that new opportunity, you took off in a hurry.

You just hope that you're not too late.

You ran across the sidewalk only to stop at the crosswalk among people like you who are waiting to get to their destinations on time.

"Come oncomeoncome on!"

You let out a deflated sigh, knowing for a fact that the light wouldn't change for at least a hour or two. 

Defeated, you decided to go back home. Even if you had been able to cross the street and kept on running, you would still be late anyways. But as if the world thought that you didn't deserve a break, it started to rain.

"Great. Just great." You angrily mumbled to yourself as you continued your stroll. You just want this day to be over.

You almost reached home until you heard something coming from one of the alleyways you've passed.

You stop for a moment, trying your best to listen for it again.

You do.

You retraced your steps and peeked your head in. It was a bit dark due to the clouds covering up the sky, but you can faintly see something was there. Curious to find out what it was, you went inside.

When you got to the end, you see a small child, all huddled up in a corner, his grey feet bare of any protection from the elements. His face was covered up by his ruffled up hair and his knees, but you can tell that he was hurt very badly seeing purple bruises and bleeding cuts all over his body.

Judging by the slightly pointy horns on his head and his pointed ears, you're left to deduce that the child in front of you is none other than a troll who looks about 1.85 sweeps old. Four in human years. Which pegs you to ask this question. 

What kind of bloody bum would beat a four year old child and leave them in the middle of a flipping alleyway?! 

Ugh, just the mere thought of a jerk like that makes you want to-

Then you heard it again. The soft cry you've heard twice now coming from the kid as he began to wipe his purple tears away with his hands.

"Hey there, little guy." You gently say to him, which got his attention as he stopped and looked up to see you.

You slowly reach out, trying to show him that you're friendly. He just stares at your hand, probably feeling a bit conflicted whether to trust you or not. 

Luckily for him, you completely understand. 

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" You reassure him as you slowly kneel down and pick him up from the ground, his eyes continuing to look at you while you're doing it.

"I better take you to the vet...or somewhere..."

Blimey, you wished that you've studied more on this species. 

As you take him out of the alleyway and into the rain, you think about the choice you have made. 

If you hadn't stopped and found him, you would probably be busy eating ice cream and watching some dramatic TV show, while this young child suffers alone and slowly dies from his injuries. The thought of you of leaving such a young innocent child in the cold bothers you more than the heartless person who left him there.

Besides, who would want to work in a stuffy old office building anyways?


	2. Chapter 2

Some people have dogs. Other people have cats or birds or any other animal that you may or may not have seen before in your life. But out of everyone else, you are by far the most exotic of the bunch. You have a troll. A living being able to think and feel on their own. 

And right now, he feels just as scared as you are. 

"Jane Crocker?" You stop to hear one of the nurses calling your name before you get up from your seat and walked up to her. "Dr. Leijon is ready for you." Silently, you follow her to a door before stopping to see her gladly opening it for you. "Thanks." you said with a smile as the two of you go inside.

Once you go in, you stop to see a young woman with long, flowing hair and spunky yet gentle olive eyes.

_"You're Jane Crocker, right?"_ You nod. A cat like smile appears on her face while the two of you shake hands. 

_"Hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Meulin Leijon."_ She then looked to see the young troll giving her a glance before pausing and looking away. 

Adding that to the newly made list of expressions to look out for, you decide to take action. 

"Hey." You said softly, once again getting his attention. The nervous look in his eyes was gone for now, but sooner or later it would come back once you release him from your grasp. 

Hopefully, you can calm him down enough so he won't freak out. 

"It's alright. You're not going to get hurt, okay? I'll be right beside you the whole time."

To be honest, you're not really sure if he fully understood what you're saying, but he doesn't look that nervous anymore, so that's a start. You then gave him to Meulin who lie him down on the vet table gently and carefully. 

You watched as she grabbed a roll of bandages. But when she touched his leg, his ears drooped as he started to panic. But before he does, you gently grab his hand, causing him to slowly calm down while she does her job.

_"This looks really bad."_ Meulin looked up at you questioningly. _"Where did you find him?"_

You pause, feeling a bit nervous. You then calm yourself down and started signing. You mentally thank the heavens that you remembered the stuff you learned in ASL class. 

_"Well, I was heading out to my job interview, but I ended up not going due to being late. While I was walking back home, it started to rain and I found him in the alleyway, abandoned and alone."_

_"I see."_ She gave you a proud smile. _"He is pretty lucky to have met you. You're a very good moirail."_

You stop before frowning in confusion. _"And that is...?"_

_“Moirallegiance is moreso a type of relationship between two trolls. Or in your case, a troll and a human. A moirail is like a platonic soulmate. Someone who can take care of him and protect him from danger. The same thing applies to this little guy as well. In other words, you watch each others' backs."_

_"Wait...you mean....Like a parent?"_

Meulin nodded, making you blush madly in embarrassment. You wonder if he actually thinks of you that way even though you just met. 

All of a sudden, you stop to see him sitting up from his spot on the cushioned table, his bandaged legs hanging from the mat.

Once you have him safely in your arms, Meulin just gave you a little Roxy-like smirk that said _See? He's taken a shine on you already._

And deep down, you knew that she was right.


	3. Chapter 3

You finally came back home with a child in your arms. 

Noticing the light of curiosity glimmering in his eyes, you gently placed him down on the floor, allowing him to get a feel for the place. 

You couldn't help but observe the young explorer as he walked around the whole house, touching things to see if they work until he turned on the TV and stopped to see a episode of Adventure Time.

You smile to yourself as he immediately sat at a fair distance from the TV with stars in his eyes. While he was watching Finn and Jake going through their crazy adventures, you stopped to feel your phone vibrating in your coat pocket. 

You took it out to see that someone was messaging you. 

TG: sup Jane  
TG: how did your interview go  
TG: did you get the job  
GG: I....I didn't go. Sorry.   
TG: aw, that's ok.  
TG: you would probs won't like it anyway  
TG: those stuffy guys with their big shot suits   
GG: True.  
TG: anyways  
TG: what happened  
GG: Well...While I was lass scampering to the office, I didn't get there on time. The traffic lights were taking too long.   
GG: So I left, but then it started to rain.  
TG: bummer :(   
GG: On my way home, however, I found a young troll crying in the alleyway. He was hurt and had all kinds of bruises.   
GG: Almost as if the person who previously took care of him beat him up and left him for dead.  
TG: dang  
TG: did you find the jerk who did it  
GG: No, but I safely took him to the vet and brought him home.   
GG: Right now, he's busy watching Adventure Time.  
GG: He's so into it too.  
TG: aw that sounds cute   
TG: do you know his name  
GG: No, not really.  
GG: I'll go ask.

"Hey there.” His pointed ears picked up your voice, getting his full attention as the TV kept playing. "Do you have a name?" You ask patiently. "Something that your previous adopted family called you?" 

His eyes looked away from yours, giving you the signal that this was a touchy subject. 

You watch carefully to see him grab a sheet of paper and a pencil before writing down two words on each side and separated them with a line in between. 

You notice that the two words were Mom and Dad, but the latter word was scribbled away, replaced with the word Him instead. By that sudden change, you can already tell that things wouldn’t going to be as easy as you thought. 

He starts over to the right side of the paper and writes comforting things a mother could call their child. Sweetie, Honey, Baby, Angel, Sunshine...You could name them all and put them on a list if you wanted to. But the once warm atmosphere you’ve felt earlier dropped to almost twenty degrees when you looked over to the other side. Listed on that side were things that you have never heard your own father call you when you were his age. 

Your heart aching in sympathy, you looked back at the left to see a circled name out of the many you have seen.

"Gamzee?" 

He nodded reassuringly. Filled with some information, you decided to text Roxy back.

GG: His name is Gamzee.  
TG: wow that's a pretty good name   
GG: Yeah, it is.   
GG: He's a innocent little chap.   
GG: Gotta go, I better take him to the loo and get him new clothes.   
TG: you think your old clothes could fit  
GG: Probably. Me and Gamzee were around the same age at the time.   
GG: Well, see you later RL. :B  
TG: back at a while JC :3


	4. Chapter 4

Once you settle down, the second thing you do with Gamzee after taking off his clothes is unwrap his bandages, revealing his injures underneath. They were still there, but they weren't as bad as before. The scraps and bruises made you wince. He, however, didn't look. Which makes sense since they probably give him bad memories. 

The next step wasn't really that hard. According to stuff you learnt about trolls online, purple blooded trolls like Gamzee are naturally born swimmers despite being a land dweller due to their caste being pretty close to sea dweller territory. And boy, does he love it. 

He didn't even give it a second thought before jumping in. Even though you got wet in the process. 

But in the middle of your complaining, you stop to hear him laugh and splash around in joy. You couldn't help but laugh while he splashes you. "Okay, okay, Gamzee. Just hold still." 

After your bathtime fun for the day, you take him to your old room, still filled with pictures of Problem Sleuth and mustachioed men. You remind yourself to replace them something else since Gamzee is getting uncomfortable looking at them. 

You took down those pictures, much to his pleasure. Afterwards, you take out your old pj's from your ancient dresser and watch as he put them on by himself. Wow. They do fit. 

You also note that you need to give him his own clothes to wear since his old ones are too old and raggedly to keep. 

"Alright Gamz, let's put you to bed.” You gently put him inside the covers, getting all cozy in the blanket. It made your heart blow up due to cuteness overexposure.

You then kissed his forehead and slowly walked towards the door. "Good night, Gamzee." 

You walk to your pop's room, which was now yours. God rest his soul. After going to the shower, you put on your nightclothes and turned off your phone. 

But before your eyes close and go to the magical place that is the land of dreams, you suddenly stop to hear the door creak open slightly.

“Wha..?” You wipe your eyes groggily before putting your glasses back on to see the young grey child holding on to a stuffed rabbit with anime shades in his arms, a gift that one of your friends gave to you on your 13th birthday.

With those big girl clothes on his small boy body, you almost thought you were seeing your younger self in his place. 

“Gamzee? What are you doing up so late? Did you had a nightmare?”

He nodded silently, answering your question without even having to use his voice. With a gentle smile, you pick up the little chap and put him in the bed with you. 

“You feel better, Gamz-“ 

You look over to see him already asleep, snug as a bug in a rug. You smile brightly at his antics before taking off your glasses and place your head back down onto your pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

"Gamzee." He tossed over, holding Lil' Seb in his arms.

"Gamzee, wake up." One little shake caused him to stop and slowly open his eyes before letting out a big yawn.

"I have great news for you today. We're going to go on a car ride and get you some new stuff."

As soon as you know it, the drowsiness in his eyes disappears and is replaced with bright joy.

"Now," you pick him up with your arms, making him smile. "Let's get you some clothes on, you mischievous little scamp you."

Once the two of you get in the car, you put on your seatbelt, making a small click. You then take a quick look at Gamzee who’s sitting at the backseat with his seatbelt on, looking pretty psyched to go somewhere different from the vet and the house.

You insert the keys into the car and fire up the ignition.

It's time to get this show on the road.

As you drive to the nearest Target, you look over to see how Gamzee was doing back there. Said troll was busy looking out the window in awe, staring wondrously into the great big world.

It made you happy, seeing him like that. You would do anything to see that cute smile of his on his face all the time.

"Okay, we're here." Gamzee looks out as you park the car safely. You then take off your seatbeat and unlocked the door for him, allowing him to open it.

He stays close to you while crossing the road and going inside.

The two of you go throughout the store, letting him pick out his clothes as well as food and the other basic essentials you and him will need. You even gave him some stuff for have fun with including a keyboard and a sketchpad with some drawing supplies.

After that you decide to take a quick little detour to a local Brewsters you and your dad used to go to back when you were a kid before heading back home with joyful smiles on your faces.


	6. Chapter 6

You had Gamzee around for a while now and you only began to notice how after all this time you haven’t brought him to school yet. 

And to make things even worse, no one else has ever accepted your offer to bring him to any of them all because people are prejudiced against highbloods and that their ‘violent nature can be hazardous towards children’. 

You don’t believe any of that nonsense. Gamzee is perhaps the kindest and most gentlest troll you have ever met (then again he is the only troll you have met) and not once did he try to hurt you. He was just raised in an abusive household, which makes total sense why he would try to fight back. 

Fortunately, you had a backup plan and decided to do homeschooling instead. You also gave him some days to go out and make some friends outside of Roxy and Rose and so far he’s been doing pretty well. He even made some human friends that he properly and eagerly introduced them to you during a play date at the park.

“Mom, look!” You snap out of your train of thought to see Gamzee all bright eyed with his face all painted up like a clown which matches well with his outfit for tonight. It is Halloween, after all.

“Do I look cool?”

You smile at your dressed up clown and gently ruffle up his hair. “Yeah. You look amazingly cool. You got your bag?” 

He took out a paper bag. “Yep!”

“Alright. Don’t talk to strangers or wander on your own, okay?”

“Okay. Can I go now?”

You kneel down and give him a little kiss on the cheek. “Now you can go.”

You watch as he runs out of the door and meets up with other kids who are also dressed up before walking away to a house. 

You just hope that he’ll be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

You didn’t even seen it coming. When you heard the sirens of an ambulance roaring in, you immediately stopped whatever it was that you were doing and ran to the streets. 

Once you got there, it was something that your dear heart couldn’t take.

A crowd of people were all gathered around watching as the people in the ambulance took a young boy wearing a cowboy outfit into their vehicle and drove off. Thankfully his injuries weren’t too severe, but you still couldn’t help but feel sorry for his parents.

You then hear a bunch of voices speaking to each other, talking about how some beast went crazy and attacked him out of nowhere. But that wasn’t the part of information that make you stop.

It was the mentioning of a clown suit that got your attention. 

As soon as you heard that, you immediately ran towards the scene, hoping and praying that he was okay. As soon as you spotted him beyond the crowd, your heart stopped. There he was, struggling to break free from the animal control’s grasp as they were also struggling to take him inside.

“Wait!”

Your sudden shout gained both his attention as well as theirs while you arrive at the scene. The rage in his eyes softened once he heard your voice.

“Miss, I advise you to stay away from this-“

“From this what? Animal? Well, that ‘animal’ over there is my son and I won’t let you take him away from me.” 

The two workers stood there, utterly speechless towards your comment, allowing Gamzee to immediately wriggle his way out of their grasp and ran straight towards you before giving you a tight hug. 

You gently picked him up into your arms and rubbed his back gently as he burst into tears, his hands all covered with traces of blood and deep regret. 

You had a lot of questions running through your mind right now, but all that matters is bringing him home.


	8. Chapter 8

For the rest of the night, you and Gamzee sit down and watch the movie Grease together. While the credits roll, you look over to see him sitting on the couch, feet bare, legs up and arms tightly wrapped around them. Just like when you've first met.

Seeing that the movie is back on the main menu, you take out the CD and place it gently in the movie case. 

You sat back down on the couch and remained sitting with him in silence. 

“Are you alright?”

He shook his head. 

"Would you like to watch another movie instead? You can pick it this time."

A nod. You knew at this moment this was the closest you could get to a yes, but you’ll accept that. As long as he’s okay.

With a patient and caring smile, you gave him the case. After a bit of silence, he had finally decided on Pokemon Heroes and inserted it into the DVD player. 

"Liking the movie so far?" 

You assume it's a yes, seeing his eyes shine in wonder at the marvelous sight that is the world of Pokemon. You certainly know what you're getting him on Christmas this year. Sometimes you wonder if you're spoiling him too much, but then the memory of those names that _he_ used to call him and also the injuries he had—injuries that are healed and gone almost as if they never happened—to remind you and give you the determination to make his life better than it was before. 

Speaking of Gamz, what time was it? Should he—and you—be going to bed by now?

You cursed mentally to yourself once your eyes met the clock. 11:30. You need to get your butts to bed.

"Gamzee, it's time for you to-"

The sight of him sleeping on the couch beside you stopped you from finishing your sentence. Watching his stomach rise and fall, a smile grew on your face as you get up, take the disc, put it and the case away, turn off the TV, and cover him in a warm blanket folded nearby.

He can take a bath in the morning. 


End file.
